As is commonly known by those of ordinary skill in the art, maintaining safety of healthcare personnel who handle needles in a healthcare setting is an ongoing problem.
In particular, in dentistry, it is common for a dentist to use a syringe assembly 10 (see, for instance, FIGS. 1-3), for the purpose of injecting an anesthetic agent to patients before beginning and/or during a dental procedure. The syringe assembly 10 typically includes a handle 11, a syringe body 12, which receives a cartridge containing the anesthetic agent, and a hollow needle 16. In operation, upon depression of the handle 11, the dental anesthetic agent is pushed by a plunger moving through the cartridge (not shown) through the needle 16 into the patient. At the end of the syringe assembly 10 opposite the handle 11, is a syringe hub 14, which forms part of the syringe assembly 10, and for which the needle 16 is attached. The syringe hub 14 typically provides for a threaded attachment to the syringe assembly 10 at a syringe end 13 of the hub 14 and a threaded attachment to the needle 16 at a needle end 15 of the hub 14. With particular reference to FIG. 3, the syringe assembly 10 includes the syringe hub 14 attached at the syringe end 13 of the hub (see FIG. 2), and also attached to a cartridge end 17 of the needle assembly, a needle hub 18, the needle 16, an injection end 19 of the needle, which typically includes a beveled end, and a needle cap 20, (typically a plastic housing), for covering the needle 16 to maintain sterility of the needle 16, and also to prevent inadvertent sticks of the needle 16 into the patient and/or the healthcare personnel. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the needle cap 20 is typically friction fit to remain in place as part of the syringe assembly 10 upon movement of the assembly, and thus prevent inadvertent exposure of the needle 16.
While there have been many attempts to provide for safe automatic removal of a needle from a syringe assembly, there has not been a device and method designed to retain the syringe hub with the syringe assembly, which has led to inadvertent disposal of this portion of the syringe assembly, leading to ensuing hazards associated with digging around in disposable sharps containers in an attempt to retrieve the syringe hub once it has been inadvertently disposed.
There also remains a need for a device and method that is capable of safely holding a syringe assembly between a first injection and completion of the dental procedure in case the healthcare personnel, e.g. the dentist, wishes to re-use the needle to supplement anesthesia dosing.